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Federal Govt Agency Policies on Sustainability

This section includes reports and articles on changes in the federal government and its agencies toward greater sustainability. In recent years, the federal government has become more concerned with environmental responsibility and several federal agencies have made moves to address this issue.

Documents

This article announces the release of the US Federal Trade Commissionâ€™s â€˜Green Guidesâ€™ which are guides to green marketing. These guides are a much-needed update of those published in 1992 then revised in 1996 and 1998. The author of this article argues that even with the new additions and revisions, the Green Guides are still behind the curve in terms of sustainable business practices and green innovations. Despite its downfalls, though, these updated guides are more relevant to todayâ€™s business world than the previous versions.

This document outlines the agencyâ€™s goals in terms of sustainability and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. It also describes what NASA plans to do in order to reach its stated goals. NASA sees sustainability as being completely in line with the agencyâ€™s values going forwardâ€”keeping the planet healthy keeps this agency going.

In an effort to do its part to protect Planet Earth, NASA is examining and putting into practice methods to produce and use renewable energy. This agency is also concerned with conserving energy and water, while focusing on sustainable materials. This article looks at some of the successful 'Green Initiatives' including a solar array at the Kennedy Space Center; groundwater cleanup at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory near Pasadena, CA; alternative energy research and implementation at the John H. Glenn Research Center; and a new solar station at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility.

This brief article introduces the EPAct 179D Tax Deduction which can be used by eligible companies who own, build or lease commercial buildings to deduct costs associated with installing or retrofitting their property to be more energy efficient. The criteria these companies must meet in order to qualify for this deduction are listed here as well.